I often let fear hold me back from so many opportunities. Whether it is a job opportunity, relationship opportunities and even ministry opportunities. I do this because I don’t have trust in His plan over my life. I will rely on my own abilities first before letting God work in my life. The Bible clearly says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

I always said I was too busy or I did not have time. I had so much on my plate, and I did not want to fail. So I decided I was going to try to juggle multiple things at once. The problem was I was so busy doing things that were not kingdom’s work that I often felt emotionally, physically and spiritually drained. When I was spiritually drained, the enemy came in to attack my confidence in God’s power. He’d reiterate the fact that I was so “busy” and that because my time was limited something had to give. One of the first things that went was spending time with God. Here are the excuses I made:

“I’m too busy to read my Bible because I have to work.”

“I’m too busy to pray because I’m tired.”

“I’m too busy to go to church because I have to study.”

The second lie I believed from the enemy was that I was not qualified. Again, because I was fearful of failure and I was relying on my own abilities, I held myself back. Whatever “it” was, “it” was not going to happen.

I had one potential job opportunity where I allowed fear to hold me back and make me feel unqualified. I got to an interview, dressed in a suit and with my résumé in hand. Instead of having confidence, I doubted myself so much that the employer had second thoughts and I did not get the job.

I even did this within ministry. I left ministry positions because I thought I did not have the time to be effective, not trusting that God will help me be effective regardless of my circumstances. What I did not realize is my qualification does not come from man but from God.

“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5

So this year, 2016, and from now on, I will have Fearless Faith. I will no longer let fear hold me back from my purpose and the plan God has over my life.

Here is a how I will have fearless faith this year and moving forward-

Deeper in the Word– I will be intentional about having quiet time and to have consistent prayer. Some people said if I don’t have time I should multitask. This is true but I cannot multitask prayer because I’ll only do one thing well. In order to have faith and a stronger relationship, I need that quiet quality time with Him. So I plan to set time aside to read His word and to pray.

Deeper in my Worship– One area I didn’t realize I have fear in is my worship. I used to believe I can only worship in church or only behind close doors. But now I know I can worship multiple different ways. Now, I will be obedient to how the Holy Spirit is leading me to worship.

To have FAITH– I no longer want to worry about the unknown. Even though I cannot see the future I still need to have faith in God’s plan. I will trust God’s got my back. No matter what I’m going through God will see me through it. Lastly, I will not worry! My go to scripture for this is:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6

I know this is easier said than done, but I I need to remain faithful daily. I sometimes have to say this to myself periodically through the day. This reminds me to stop worrying and give it to God.

I hope this encouraged you all. Remember to have fearless faith, trust God and know He’s got your back.

By Patrice McKenzie
patrice@areyoushe.com

P.S.- Check out this awesome spontaneous worship song by Bethel Music featuring William Matthews

Words cannot even express how blown away I am by God…Last night, I had a dream that a man in a wheelchair got up and walked at my church. Today, that dream manifested in such a powerful way. As we prayed, declared and decreed Mr. Leslie was going to walk in Jesus’ name, he got up out of that wheelchair after being bound to it for 40 years!!! There’s nothing our God can’t do! If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, God will move mountains!

I always wondered why I never fit in. All throughout grade school and college I personally struggled to fit in. Although I made friends, I felt different. As any follower would, I tried my best to fit in. But no matter how hard I tried to be like my friends and peers, I always felt like there was more than what was presented in front of me.

The world will constantly present ways to distract us or tempt us away from God to compete for our attention and our worship. That is truly a trick of our enemy — Satan. He wants nothing more than to deter us away from God and away from our purpose.

As we are transitioning into a new season and a new year, let’s remember who we are in Christ and continue to walk in the calling He has for us as believers.

What To Remember During The New Year:

1) We were never called to fit in.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;” Philippians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭NASB‬‬

As believers, we are saved and know our time on earth is temporary. Let’s remember to be kingdom-minded. Our citizenship is in Heaven. We are to walk in a higher disposition than what the world can ever offer us to walk in. In order to maintain a kingdom-mindset, we have to be okay with standing out and being different no matter what is trending or common to those among us.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 NKJV

2) Press in God’s Presence

“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” Psalm 105:4 NASB

Each day we are blessed with a new day to go deeper in our relationship with God. We need to go deeper. This year, let’s go deeper into God’s presence like we’ve never gone before. Have a heart to seek Him and pursue His Will.

We must be open and willing to lay our own desires down in pursuit of seeking God’s desires. When we enter His presence, we must enter with an open heart and zeal with expectancy to be transformed when we encounter Him.

3) G.L.O.W. (Glory Lies Overtly Within)

Simply, glow! God gave me the acronym, Glory Lies Overtly Within, as I was on my way to work thinking about glowing with purpose. He designed each of us with glory in mind. He instills purpose in each one of us. From this day forward and into the new year, simply, glow. Be the woman of God He’s called you to be. Let the unique fire within you flow out of you. God has predestined us each for His Glory.

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,” ‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:4-5‬ ‭NASB‬

Christmas is in 2 days! To celebrate Christmas, I want to highlight a significant part in the story of the birth of Jesus Christ- faith in God’s plan! Mary was engaged to Joseph and she was a virgin. However, she still gave birth to the son of God by remaining pure. It was Mary’s God-given purpose to carry and give birth to Jesus. What an honor! Despite her initial puzzlement of God’s plan, she was obedient and had faith in His purpose for her. Even though many did not understand or believe her, she carried her purpose.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to tell Mary the good news.

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:30-33 NLT).

At first she questioned Gabriel’s statement by presenting logic. She told him she was a virgin so she could not be pregnant. Which is common for us to do because we tend to want to lead with our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) rather than believing God’s supernatural power. But Gabriel reminded Mary of her relative Elizabeth’s miracle. Elizabeth was barren and old in age. She was told she could never have children. But God made it possible. Elizabeth conceived a son when others thought she could not. “For the word of God will never fail.” (Luke 1:37 NLT)

With this remembrance, Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (Luke 1: 38a NLT)

Her fiance Joseph also had a difficult time understanding how Mary was pregnant. Although he was a believer, he used logical thinking rather than trusting in God’s power. All he knew was his soon to be wife was pregnant and the child was not his. So he decided to divorce Mary quietly. Then an angel came to Joesph in a dream and assured him Mary’s child was from God.

Like many millenials, I had my own personal exodus from a career this year.

After 3 1/2 years of working at a local news station, enough was enough.

So I resigned. And I didn’t even put it in writing.

The truth of the matter is, I had been frustrated for months. With no signs of ever being able to move up or get a promotion, I felt like I was stuck. Many days I would sit at my desk, staring blankly at my computer screen, telling myself, I know God created me to do more than this.

Working in a newsroom was not only stressful, but it took a mental and spiritual toll on me. It seemed the more and more each day, the more terrible the stories became. And they started hitting a lot closer to home, too.

A story I’ll never forget — a man part of a black biker club shot and killed outside a nightclub. What made the story even worse: I was a youth leader for the victim’s young teenage daughter at my old church. I’ll never forget going to the wake. Everything seemed so surreal. As I walked into the church and saw that father laying in the casket dead, the weight of it all became too real for me. I was the one who who told the world his name and wrote the end to his story.

From that point on, I struggled spiritually and asked God to reveal to me why He even had me in the TV news industry. I knew it was part of a greater calling, but all the gloom and doom made my future so foggy for me.

But being the great God that He is, He put a scripture on my heart for prayer and meditation:

“I will surely make a way in the desert and rivers in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 (TLV)

That verse was my prayer almost each and every day. Work had turned into a wilderness to me and I desperately needed Papa to make a way out.

God answered my prayer in March. That month was a really rocky one for me. Not only was I having a tough time professionally, but also personally. After 2 1/2 years, my ex broke up with me and one of my managers questioned me about whether or not I thought television was the right industry for me. As I stood at the crossroads, Jesus did something supernaturally for me.

It was by far one of the worst days at my job. Things got so bad, in the middle of my writing, I got up and prayed to God in the bathroom and told Him I wasn’t going to leave unless He moved. As I went back to work, I never thought He was going to move so fast. To make a long story short, all hell broke loose. In the middle of the chaos and pandemonium, one of my coworkers said, “If you have to leave, you have to do what you have to do.”

And that’s when I knew God was giving me my cue.

So I left.

And I’ve never looked back.

For the summer, in order to make ends meet, I worked as a nanny and administrative assistant at a tax firm. The transition wasn’t easy but necessary. I knew the LORD had called me to leave my job and He had so much more in store, but in the meantime, it was hard to even imagine walking through an open door.

But God always stays faithful to His word.

When I got the call from Cornerstone, offering me a position with the network, I knew that was the door I had been waiting for. It wasn’t just a job, but the beginning of walking in my purpose and destiny.

It’s been nearly 4 months since I’ve started working at my new job and I’ve never felt more fulfilled. There’s even days where I don’t even feel like I’m working.

There’s nothing like experiencing the manifestation of the river God made in your wasteland for you.